


Red Mist

by merryghoul



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Community: dark_fest, Gen, Hallucinations, Misogyny, Temporary Character Death - Jack Harkness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-01
Updated: 2012-04-01
Packaged: 2017-11-02 20:41:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/373120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt for dark_fest: Toshiko, Nearly everyone (except Jack) assumed she was meek and quiet, afraid of confrontation. They were wrong. They just hadn't seen her when the red mist descended in front of her eyes.  (2012)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Mist

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place before the first series and after Jack returns from the Year that Never Was but before "Reset."

Most of the Torchwood team underestimated Toshiko.  To them, she was their computer expert.  She was shy to the point she actually preferred her computers to human company.  And when she did go out with someone, it was Tommy Brockless or the alien of the week who happened to seduce Tosh. 

But before Owen, Ianto and Gwen joined Torchwood, Jack had seen a side few people saw of Tosh.  If she was provoked, Tosh could be a killer.  Hell, she even tried to kill Suzie once.

 

In 2005, before Owen joined Torchwood, a red mist fell on Cardiff.  It came through the Rift.  Tosh saw it on her computer as Jack was working on papers for Torchwood One and Suzie was welding a weapon.  She alerted Jack and Suzie.  Jack and Tosh took the elevator to the tourist office to get to the Roald Dahl Plass to investigate, leaving Suzie in charge of the Hub in case something happened.  Tosh grabbed an analysis tool before she left.

Indeed, there was a reddish mist on the Plass.  Tosh let some of the mist droplets fall on her analysis tool.

"Toshiko," Jack said, "have you figured out what this mist is made out of?"

"The mist appears to be a mixture of rain water mixed with red soil.  The soil's not from Earth, Jack.  Do you know where the soil may be coming from?"

Jack looked at the analysis tool.  He pressed a few buttons on it.  "It appears to be from Sontar."

"Sontar?"

"Sontar, the home of the Sontarans.  They've been on Earth before.  Something must've happened to their planet in the future, and part of their planet fell through the Rift.  From there, the soil mixed with the rain water, causing this mist."

"Do you think the mist will have harmful effects?"

Jack looked around the Plass.  "The people in the Plass don't seem affected by the mist, so I think it's harmless.  It'll puzzle the weathermen—you might want to turn on BBC News when we get in so we can laugh at them.  Come on, Toshiko.  Let's go in and record what we've discovered."

Suzie walked outside as Jack and Tosh were heading to the Hub.

"Yvonne Hartman called, Jack.  She thinks a Rutan spaceship crashed near Bristol.  She wants us to investigate it."

Tosh didn't see Suzie telling Jack about Yvonne and the Rutan spaceship.  She saw Milton, the woman who blackmailed her and took her mother hostage for UNIT plans for a sonic modulator.  She was heading towards Tosh with the modulator, wondering what the modulator could do on Tosh.

Tosh cocked her gun and pointed it at Suzie.  "Stay right there.  This time I've got a gun.  You're not using that modulator on me."

"What are you doing, Toshiko?  It's me, Suzie."

"You're not Suzie!"

Tosh shot at Suzie.  Suzie was able to fall to the ground to avoid the bullets.  Jack grabbed and disarmed Tosh.  "Toshiko, what in the hell is wrong with you?"

Tosh pointed to Suzie.  "That's Milton.  That's the woman that threatened my mother."

"No, that's Suzie.  Suzie, are you okay?"

"Yes, Jack.  Thanks for asking about me _first._   I could've been injured or dying down here.  Maybe even paralyzed."

"If I didn't restrain Tosh you wouldbe dead.  Suzie, call Yvonne and tell her we'll deal with the Rutan spaceship as soon as possible."

"Yes, Jack."

 

Jack did a body scan on Tosh back in the Hub.  He found Sontar dust in Tosh's lungs.

"The dust in your lungs affected your mind, Tosh.  It made you see things that weren't there and brought up unpleasant memories. I'd say it's an intergalactic allergic reaction, since neither Suzie nor I was affected by the red mist."    

"So what do you want me to do, Jack?"

"I want you to stay here and monitor the Rift.  Make sure nothing else falls in there tonight.  When the mist clears, I'll let you go home so you can recuperate." 

The red mist incident is why Tosh oftentimes stayed in the Hub—Jack was afraid some intergalactic agent would affect her mind and cause her to turn against her teammates.  Tosh's allergy eventually became one of Jack's biggest secrets he kept from the team.  Suzie's death and Tosh's secrecy made that secret easier to keep.

The secret came to life again after Owen, Ianto and Gwen were hired to Torchwood.  And had Gwen not begged Tosh to join the team on their mission, that secret would've been kept.

 

The team was chasing down someone who had an alien artifact in Cardiff when the red mist came back through the Rift.  The SUV was stopped on a street in the city.  Jack rolled up the all the windows in the SUV.  Everyone but Tosh walked outside.

Gwen ran up to Jack.  "Jack, is there a reason why Tosh is in the SUV?"

"Owen!  Ianto!  Split up and see if you can find that man.  Gwen and I will catch up."

Ianto and Owen went down the street and did as Jack told them to.

"Why is Tosh in the SUV instead of looking for that man?"

"Tosh is looking for the source of that mist.  She'll join us after the mist passes."

"Jack, that's not the reason why you're keeping Tosh in the SUV."

"But that _is_ the reason, Gwen."

"You're afraid Tosh won't be able to fend for herself."

"That's not true."

"You know Tosh can hold her own against this man if she comes face to face with her.  Let her out so she can help find this man before he gets out of Cardiff."

"Okay, I'll let her out.  Hopefully nothing bad will happen.  But if it does, you brought this upon yourself, Gwen."

Jack went back to the SUV.  He opened Tosh's door.

"Tosh, change of plans.  You're to go out in the streets and participate in the manhunt."

"But what about my allergy, Jack?"

"We need to risk your health so we can find this man.  We need as many people on him as we can get."

Tosh turned off the SUV's computer and walked outside.  As soon as she stepped outside, the dust from the red mist got into Tosh's lungs.  One moment she saw Jack walking in front of her.  The next, she saw Milton.  Tosh raised her gun, cocked it and shot Jack in the heart.

Gwen turned around and saw Jack on the ground.  Ianto and Owen ran back to the street.  They all saw Tosh with the gun. 

"Tosh, what's happened to you?"  Gwen said.

"You're the people who threw me into prison."

"No, we're not the people who threw you in prison.  I'm Gwen, and I think Ianto and Owen are behind me."

"I'm breaking out of this prison and none of you can stop me."

Tosh shot at Gwen.  Gwen had to outrun Tosh's shooting to avoid her bullets.  Gwen was out of Tosh's eyesight, she started shooting at Ianto, who was also struggling to avoid her bullets.  While Tosh was shooting at Ianto, Owen ran to her and grabbed her gun.  Ianto also ran to Tosh and restrained her when the coast was clear.  The two took Tosh back to the SUV as Gwen opened the door to Tosh's seat.

Tosh thrashed around in the SUV.  "You're not taking me back to jail!  You're not taking me back to jail!"

Once Tosh was secure in the SUV, the rest of the team stood outside the SUV, waiting for Jack to come back alive.

Owen sighed.  "I wish Jack would come back to life a bit quicker.  Not like Tosh could probably drive the SUV worth a damn and try to run over us."

 

Owen analyzed Tosh's body in the Hub's medical bay.  He found the same Sontar dust particles in Tosh's system that Jack found four years earlier. 

"You were right, Tosh," Owen said.  "Sontar dust particles mixed with rainwater.  In Tosh it causes hallucinations.  Doesn't affect the rest of us."

"Why did you keep this a secret, Tosh?  I thought Jack was forcing you to stay in the SUV."

"Jack and I didn't want to alert the rest of the team to be alarmed over my allergy, Gwen."

"I told you I didn't want to take Tosh out of the SUV."

"But Jack, if we knew Tosh had an allergy to Sontaran dust, we could've taken her back to the Hub when we saw the mist."

"Never question my decisions, Gwen."

"Well, Jack, if you didn’t insist on keeping secrets, then maybe we wouldn't be running around like headless chickens questioning your leadership." 

"Enough.  Tosh, when the mist clears, you're going home.  The rest of you, we're going back and see if we can attempt to spot this guy.  Gwen, I expect you to sit in Tosh's seat to see if we can track him."

And after that unpleasant incident, the rest of the team didn't doubt Tosh's abilities ever again.


End file.
